Now, Tantita is in a new standoff with Ebenco Global Link Limited, a waste management company based in Koko, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State. The confrontation arose after Tantita interfered with Ebenco's operations on suspicion of crude oil bunkering, which has outraged the host community.
Ebenco's Managing Director Dr. Ebenezer Oluwagbemiga denied any involvement in oil bunkering when speaking to Saturday Vanguard. However, Tantita's Executive Director of Operations and Technical, Captain Warredi Enisuoh, maintained they acted on intelligence. "We took the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation there based on our intelligence that vessels frequently steal crude oil from wellheads in that area, which we have been monitoring," he said.
Captain Enisuoh raised questions about the volume of diesel Ebenco claims to produce from sludge, and whether they had the proper licensing for such activities. He said their checks with NNPCL confirmed Ebenco was not licensed for diesel production. When a boat arrived with product, the captain and Ebenco provided contradictory accounts of their transaction.
Dr. Oluwagbemiga meanwhile accused Tantita men of harassing over 35 staff by breaking into the facility at night, placing people in handcuffs without cause. The following day, Ebenco managers showed Tantita their various waste evacuation contracts to justify their operations, but tensions remain high between the two organizations over the allegations. The incident has further pitted Tantita against local communities in its efforts to crack down on oil thieves operating in the Niger Delta region.
